Wolf Love : A Goddess' Plea
by Demi-goddess
Summary: Another calling.This one more perilous than the previous adventures.One filled with mystery, magic and menace.Gods and monsters oppose our heroes, as they tread in the footprints of those walked before them… and they seem all too familiar… KaiTal BryRay
1. Prologue

_Chapter no. :_ Prologue  
_Chapter title:_ Prologue  
_Story rating:_ M  
_BETAed:_ **Phoenix Seal Of Approval  
**_Disclaimer:_ Me no own Beyblade. I mean, come on - how stupid are you? If I did own Beyblade, it would contain much swearing, blood, sex and rock'n'roll. And Yaoi. Don't forget the luffly yaoi. But since I don't own it, I have to settle for entertaining you guys with my stories and OCs - which is fine by me.  
_Warnings: _-You must have read the other Wolf Loves! - cannot be bothered to list the rest-  
_Thanks for reviewing the last chapter of Animal Magnet...  
_**KamiaKotai  
YuriyTalaIvanov  
Wolf Pyralis  
Shrouded Obsession  
Evildictionaryninja**  
_Notes: -_screams- Honeys, I'm home! We're back for another saga. I decided to upload this as i was running out of inspiration to keep writing the chapters. Updates wil probably be slow, as I have exams coming up. Hope you enjoy the prologue! xXx

* * *

"ENOUGH!" 

Everyone quietened down instantly at the roar and turned to the top of the golden table.

The Great Deity's eyes fiercely scanned the table. "You call yourselves gods? Mortals worship you for wisdom, courage and guidance! If they knew how you act…!" The being trailed off.

Every god known to man - from Aztec deities to the great Zoroaster - was sat at the great, golden table, up in the mystical pastures of the Elysian Fields, upon the orders of the Great Deity.

"Now… thank you… I'm guessing you are all wondering why you are here."

"Yes we are." The almighty Zeus replied.

"Indeed."

"Could you please get on with it?" Barked a deep voice. "Some of us need to get back to smiting unbelievers and gracing those who follow me obediently."

"Y-"

"God, keep your loin cloth on, will you?" Another snorted. "She's getting there!"

"Circe, please." The Great Deity soothed, laying a hand on the witch's. "Calm yourself."

"What **is **she doing here, anyway? She's not a goddess!"

"Hera-darling, you're only supposed to be jealous of Zeus and how he gets it with _mortal_ women and not you, his wife. Leave the spiting to Eris, will you?" Circe snapped back. "She does it so well! Why take her job from her?"

At this statement, Eris - who had been half-asleep from boredom - perked up and glared at her mother, the Greek Queen of gods. "You what? You're taking _my_ job from me? Bitch!"

"I was not, child."

"Oh, yeah right, _mother_. You're just overprotective of your rightful offspring!" Eris screeched back. "I mean, I don't see you taking away Artemis' right of hunting - oh, yeah, right, I forgot - that's because Zeus is the father and that mortal women, Leto, is her mother - not you!"

The godly twins, Artemis and Apollo, gave both the goddess of spite and queen goddess a wary look, just to see if the two would insult their mother…

"I am not taking your job from you!" Hera shrieked back. "Circe-"

"Don't you drag her into this!" Eris snapped, protective of her favourite non-godly-immortal-witch. "She has nothing to do with this!"

"If you had been listening before-"

"Please, could we try loving ea-"

"Shut up, Aphrodite, you whore!"

The goddess of love's bright blue eyes narrowed at Hera, daring the queen to say it again…

The Great Deity sighed and gave the other gods an apologetic look.

"I swear you have foam for brains."

"What?" The girly goddess screamed.

"Well," The queen continued nonchalantly, "you did rise up from the sea's foam on a giant clam when one of the titans had his-"

"Shush!"

"-cut off!"

"I said shush!" The Great Deity called.

"At least Athena has brains!" Hera hesitated. "Oh, wait, sorry - she mustn't because she _did_ come from my lech of a husband's head…"

Athena opened her mouth to snap back, but the ever fiery Ares cut her off.

"Please, cool your head for a while until the Great Deity can explain why we are congregating here." The god of war growled.

"Please, Ares, I thought you had more sense than to stop me hammering sense into more stupid goddesses." Hera replied sweetly to her son.

"The only one stupid here, is you, Hera." Artemis muttered.

"What did you say, you unrightful goddess?"

The Great Deity let its head slip and bang onto the gold table from frustration, feeling Circe place a sympathetic hand on its shoulder…

It looked like its charges - the humans it and Circe had helped - were on their own, then…

Destiny help them - they have enough hell with each other without these 'gods' interfering!

----- Back on Earth -----

"Tala! Kai!" Bryan banged a fist on the wall. "Shut the fuck up, for God's sake!" The Falcon lay back down and cuddled back up to his Kitten, jamming the pillow back over his head. "I swear they run on Duracell… damn those bunnies…"

* * *

Demi: Kamia-darling did point out that shouldn't it be Energizer, but (well, over in Britain) Duracell's advert has bunnies in it and i use Duracell, so... 

Anyhoo, review


	2. 1: News

_Chapter no. :_ 1  
_Chapter title: _News  
_Story rating:_ M  
_BETAed:_ **Phoenix Seal Of Approval**  
_Disclaimer:_ Me no own Beyblade. I mean, come on - how stupid are you? If I did own Beyblade, it would contain much swearing, blood, sex and rock'n'roll. And Yaoi. Don't forget the luffly yaoi. But since I don't own it, I have to settle for entertaining you guys with my stories and OCs - which is fine by me.  
_Warnings: _The usual, you know.  
_Big thanks for reviewing..._  
**The JohnnyMcKilt Productions  
KamiaKotai  
GabZ  
Ice-wolf-16  
Neena14**  
_Notes: _Aaaaand... we're back

* * *

"_You leave her alone!" A boy of eight with golden hair yelled at a portly old man, who was gripping a young girl._

"_Leave, you stupid varmint!" The man roared._

"_Get off me!" A young girl screamed._

"_Let her go!"_

"_No! Please!"_

"_Why you little-!"_

Ray jerked awake, sitting up with a jolt. His breathing was erratic, chest heaving up and down and heart hammering against his rib cage fitfully.

He shivered, letting loose a whimper, as he wiped his forehead of sweat. "What _was_ that?" He wondered out loud.

"And insight into another's troublesome life," Replied a cool voice.

Ray looked up, eyes meeting sea-green gems. "Circe…" He whispered, before looking down at a sleeping Bryan. "Bry, wake up." The Falcon did not stir. "Bryan?"

"Time is stood still, Ray," Circe explained softly. "The Falcon is fine. But just look at your clock if you doubt me… I know you do."

The Tiger did indeed look at the little alarm clock on his bedside table - the minute and hour hand indicating it was just past one in the morning, but the second hand was at a stand still - time was at a stand still.

"Being friends with Kronos, the Titan god of time, does indeed have its perks," The Witch commented nonchalantly.

"Did… did you put that dream in my head?"

"It was no dream, Tiger. It was a vision - a premonition. One that will throw you into yet another adventure."

Ray groaned. "Joy…"

"Indeed," Circe replied with a smile. "Do stay safe, Tiger."

And she disappeared into a cloud of sea-green glitter, which flew lazily out of the open window. Ray rubbed his eye of powdery sleep, internally cursing at how he wasn't tired anymore.

Looking back at the alarm clock, he saw the second hand once again ticking away. His amber orbs then gazed down at the still-dozing Falcon, fingers running softly through the ethereal-silver hair…

Strange… the young girl in his dream-vision-premonition-whatever had metallic hair - though with a hint of another colour… he forgot what colour - noticing hair colour within nightmares wasn't exactly at the top of his agenda.

He heaved a frustrated sigh and slumped back down, under the covers, resisting the large urge to wake his Russian partner and talk to him about Circe's warning.

Damnit, why were females so annoying? Why couldn't she give him the dream at, like, midday? When Tala, Kai, Bryan and even Alana and Alexei were awake - he would be grateful even if he could talk to Moon Child, Fai or Cha'tima…

And then there's another reason why he regarded females as annoying - man, he sounded worse than Tala during one of his rants - and that was to do with Circe once again. He wondered if all girls got turned into revengeful witches when their boyfriends cheated on them…

…Probably.

* * *

"Traci?" 

His daughter gave no reply, she just continued to type something on her laptop.

"Traci?" Doctor Johnson sighed. "Traci, what are you doing?"

"I'm pulling a Circe."

The American scientist blinked. "You're going to turn Michael into a boar and the girl into a bear and watch her kill him? Please don't. As much as I despise him, please don't."

"No, daddy," Traci replied. "Just you wait though…"

* * *

"And now onto other news," The reporter said, shuffling her papers. 

Tala snorted. "I think she's talked about the history of the world, thinking about how long the list of other 'news stories' was before. What next? Will they start reporting relationships gone wrong?"

"A relationship gone wrong," The reporter continued, making Tala sweatdrop and Ray snort into his tea. "It's now official - America's sweetheart-couple have split up rather violently. Miss America, Traci Leanne Johnson, has made the statement, as her long-term boyfriend and globally-famous beyblader, Michael Parker, in currently in Japan.

"'No it wasn't differences,'" Traci appeared on screen. "'And it certainly wasn't to do with work, so stop selling that bull-'" Beep! "'Plain and simple, Michael cheated on me. That's why I came back to America and that's why I broke up with him. This isn't a publicity stunt, either. And I have a witness too, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Parker.'

"Indeed," The reported added, "she does have a witness - and a statement from the witness himself. Enrique Giancarlo, renowned playboy and blader for the Majestics, is standing up for the American sweetheart, stating that he saw the All Starz blader flirting with a group of young girls whilst within the vicinity of the Liberty Hotel, in which all blading teams are staying-

"And now, sorry folks, but we have exclusive news just come in - it seems Mr Parker has been reported missing. He-"

Tala turned the television off. "'Bout fucking time."

"What's happened?" Asked the Falcon, entering the living area, drying his wet hair with the towel that was slung around his shoulders. "Oh, well, judging by the time - it being eight - the postman is due to arrive. Getting bored of Kai?"

"Mind if I interrupt?" Kai's 'question' was more of a statement. "But our postman is a poor kid of eight."

Bryan narrowed his eyes at Tala. "Kiddy-fiddler." He hissed.

"Hey!" The redhead chucked a pillow at his teammate. "And besides…" He added slyly, shifting over onto Kai's lap, "I could never get bored of Kai…"

"Oh, how could I have ever doubted it?" Bryan asked sarcastically, with a roll of his eyes. The doorbell rang. "That'll be our traumatised postboy, then."

Tala flipped him the birdy - pardon the pun - before turning his attention back to Kai.

"I'll get it, Bry," Ray said, standing and moving over to the double doors. Opening one, he was met with the young post-boy - the one Kai had seen the week or so before. Golden ringlets cascaded over his shoulders from under his flap cap and brilliant blue eyes blinked up at him from under the shadow of the cap. "Hey, kid."

"Hello, sir," The boy said politely, handing over the daily newspaper -Traci splattered over the front page - and the mail. "Here you go, sir."

Ray frowned, a question bubbling within his mind as the kid turned and began to move towards the stairs…

"Hey wait, kid."

The boy stopped walking away and turned back around. "Yes, sir?"

"…What's your name?"

Blue eyes widened in shock. "U-Uhm… m-my name is Azrael, sir."

"Well, goodbye Azrael," The neko-jin replied, watching the boy rush down the stairs.

Upon re-entering the suite, he was met with rather strange stares.

"Why did you want to know his name, Ray?" Kai asked.

"Looks like he's interested…" Tala muttered with a smirk, earning a pillow round the head.

"The only pederast in here is you, Tal," Bryan retorted, before turning to Ray. "If Ray wants to know the kid, let him get to know him."

The Chinese lad made his way back over to the living area and slumped on the couch next to the Falcon, dumping the mail and paper on the glass coffee table before him.

"No, it's strange…"

"What is?" Tala asked, suddenly interested.

"I-I had a dream last night… it was sent by Circe."

"Circe?" Bryan scowled. "How do you know?"

"She told me," Ray shook his head. "She came into our room last night and sent this dream into my head - except she said it was a vision."

"Why didn't you wake me?" Bryan asked, internally hurt.

"I tried to. But she had stopped time, therefore you were outside the void. But when she restarted time… I didn't want to wake you."

"Let me guess - he looked too peaceful," Tala finished, with a serene smile.

Ray blushed and nodded.

"What was the dream about?" Asked the Falcon, changing the subject as he was sure he was about to blush himself.

The neko-jin frowned and curled up against Bryan. "Three people. Two kids - one boy who looks just like Azrael and a girl of the same age - and some bastard of an old man."

Kai, Tala and Bryan blinked at his choice of words.

"He was holding the girl's wrist, trying to drag her somewhere and the boy was trying to stop him. The dream ended just before he was about to hit the boy."

Kai frowned. "Circe might just be up to her old tricks."

* * *

"For the Great Deity's sake, stop accusing me!" The witch screamed. "Men!"

* * *

Ray shook his head. "No. She said that we have another adventure ahead of us. This is just a warning." 

"Oh, joy to the world…" Tala muttered. "Well, count me out."

"Oh, shut up, pederast."

* * *

Demi: Revieeeeeewwwww pwease - i almost forgot i had this story up -sweatdrop- 

P.S. For those who don't know, a pederast is an man who has sexual relations with a boy.

P.P.S. I have a competition running, for those interested; well, two, actually. One's KaiTala, the other is BryRay. The ending date WAS 19th, but i may put it back cos i've only had one entry (from my Phoenix) and another has expressed interest, but hasn't much time. I'd appreciatte it if you noted me if you were interested too so i can see how many entries i'm expecting. Please enter -waves flag-


	3. 2: Reinventing

_Chapter no. :_ 2  
_Chapter title: _Re-inventing  
_Story rating:_ M  
_BETAed:_ **Phoenix Seal Of Approval**  
_Disclaimer:_ Me no own Beyblade. I mean, come on - how stupid are you? If I did own Beyblade, it would contain much swearing, blood, sex and rock'n'roll. And Yaoi. Don't forget the luffly yaoi. But since I don't own it, I have to settle for entertaining you guys with my stories and OCs - which is fine by me.  
_Warnings: _The usual, you know.  
_Big thanks for reviewing..._  
**shrouded-obsession  
KamiaKotai  
**_Notes: _Hm, for those not reading other stories, meaning you haven't heard yet, I have a sort of schedule up for my stories, since I have exams coming up. Go see the bottom of my profile to see when Wolf Love or any other story you like will be updated.

* * *

"Alana?"

The purple-haired teen looked up blearily. Dark shadows were blatantly obvious beneath her blue eyes and she seemed to meander along towards the main area from her bedroom down the corridor.

Her brother frowned. "Lana…?"

"Hm…? Yeah, Bry?" But, seeing the question within his pale orbs, she shook her head. "I didn't get much sleep last night, Bryan. Nightmare."

The Falcon enveloped the Hawk within his arms, everyone watching them from the kitchen table. He rocked her gently, placing his cheek on top of her head.

"Want to tell me…?"

She buried her face in his shirt, biting her lip as images flashed before her eyes.

"I'm worried 'bout you, 'Lana. You turn up after thirteen years, with obviously a dark past and worrying memories and you can't or won't tell me what's wrong… I'm only worried about my baby sister…"

She looked up at him slowly. "Fine…" She sighed, before dragging him back down the corridor to an isolated room…

* * *

"As you know, Circe got the wrong end of the stick when she thought I loved Alexei. I love Lex as a brother and friend… however Circe _was_ right that someone was weighing down my heart." She took a shuddering breath. "Yasha Roswald was a German army officer. You asked, Bryan, why I didn't show while or after BEGA was in control." Blue eyes locked with moonlight-silver and she shrugged, looking down at the white sheets of the bed they sat on. "Because I was involved in my own rebellion in Europe."

"You were the underground force in Central Europe."

Alana nodded and smirked. "Good times." She sighed. "We got caught at one time and we escaped with Yasha's help. He was the only one to be discovered – we actually had the backing of the entire military force. Anyway, as we spent more and more time together…" she flushed. "Things happened."

"'_Things'._" Bryan repeated, eyes narrowing.

"Bryan, I was sixteen and he was a good looking guy in a uniform."

"And he was how old?"

Alana looked at the ceiling and sighed. "Twenty seven."

"**_What_?!**"

"Oh hush." Alana snapped. "It's long over anyway."

"I should hope so!"

"Because he's dead."

Bryan's mouth dropped open. "Shit…"

"You'd have liked him." Alana said, filching through her pockets, her hands shaking slightly. "I know you would have."

She handed him two photos. One was of a brunette man of late teens, carrying Alana in his arms, both laughing in joy. The other was obviously a military photo - the brunette in army gear and staring at him with brilliant brown orbs that glinted with happiness and youth.

"How did he die?" Bryan asked quietly.

Alana looked down sadly as a memory surfaced…

_She waved her hand to clear the cloud of dust from her vision. She approached the fallen building slowly and grinned at a job well done, slipping into a gap in the wood to investigate the damage._

_The lab was a wreck – steaming solutions evaporated onto the floor, colours staining the white walls and floor. Alana grinned again and pulled herself from the wreckage. She half ran across the empty road and towards the streets of Saratov._

_Her smile widened as a familiar silhouette came into view, shadow cast against the wall from the dim street lamp._

_She sprinted the last ten metres and skidded to a halt next to him. "It's done. Totally trashed."_

"_I knew you could do it," a comforting voice said, brown eyes twinkling in the darkness as Yasha smiled proudly._

_A shot rang in the silence of the night and his eyes widened in shock. He stumbled backwards and fell in a graceful arc to the floor._

_Life seemed to slow down for Alana. "No!" she screamed, stumbling to the floor in an attempt to catch her love. "Sweet mercy, **no**…" she sobbed, cradling him in her lap. "Yasha…"_

_Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and he coughed a little, moving the hand that clutched his chest to her face. She winced, more tears flowing as hot black blood brushed her face along with his rapidly cooling fingers._

"_Sorry," he managed to choke out, his hand slowly slipping down._

_Alana quickly caught it and gripped it tight, panic setting in as the light in his beautiful eyes started to fade._

"_No," she said, "No, no, no, no you can't leave me here!" she said, trying to hold him tighter. "I need you!"_

"_You'll manage, love." Yasha Roswald coughed again before his eyes sparked out and his hand went limp in Alana's._

"_It's a shame," a voice sneered. "Not like the films, is it?" Red eyes twinkled with twisted amusement. "Not everyone has a happy ending, and the good guys don't always win."_

Suddenly Tala burst through the bedroom door. "Bry! Circe's turned up."

"Brilliant," The Falcon snapped, handing back the photo and climbing off the bed. He gave his sister's forehead a quick kiss. "Stay here, okay?" When she opened her mouth in protest, he glared, shutting her up. "Baby. Sister. Remember my lecture?"

"Okay, okay, fine. **Big. Brother.**" And she sat back down on the bed, crossing her arms and looking like a spoilt child denied a new toy.

Bryan rolled his eyes and followed Tala out the room, walking briskly into the main area. He stopped, however, when he saw the back of what appeared to be Circe. She turned around, sea-green eyes twinkling with greeting.

"New look, Circe?" He asked, observing the mix of yellow and sea-green, her familiar staff clutched in her hand (1).

"Yes, I felt like a change – and the Great Deity told me to; also designed it for me."

"Well, the Great Deity must be a fashion designer as well as a meddling god," Tala muttered, leaning against Kai.

Circe laughed. "Maybe…"

"Talking about new designs, mind redesigning **this**?" Asked a voice. Everyone turned to look at Alana, as she emerged from the corridor. She pulled out Alexei from behind her back… a still otter-fied Alexei.

"Oh gosh, forgot about you!"

Alexei gave an indignant squeak.

"How could you forget about him?" Alana continued, almost within a rant. "You turned him into a blasted otter!"

"Hey, I've been working my behind off for you mortals!" Circe cried back. "You could be dead by now if it wasn't for me!"

"What?" Bryan asked. "Why?"

"Never you mind," The witch snapped. "I'm losing time – I can't stay here for long – there's another Elysian meeting."

She waved her dragon-staff and the otter Alana was holding suddenly became heavy. She placed it on the floor and, within a flash of white light, Alexei - in human form - appeared on the floor, blinking in surprise. Alana bent down next to him, asking quietly if he was okay.

The witch turned to the others. "Right, before I get scolded by one bitch of a Greek queen god-"

"Circe!" Barked a strict, feminine voice. "If you're coming to this blasted meeting, come now! I want this over and done with."

Circe growled and disappeared in a haze of sea-green glitter, which - like before - floated out of the balcony's open doorway.

Tala turned to Kai. "Why do her visits always end with her leaving suddenly? It's so bloody annoying… it's almost as if she doesn't want to be around us."

"With the rate of her visits, Tala," Kai reminded him, "she might as well live here."

"…True…"

* * *

(1) Eh, her costume is WAY too hard to describe - go to the bottom of my profile and click the link lol

* * *

Demi: Review pwease and I _may_ update a wee bit earlier... 


	4. 3: Questions

_Chapter no. :_ 3  
_Chapter title: _Questions  
_Story rating:_ M  
_BETAed:_ **Phoenix Seal Of Approval**  
_Disclaimer:_ Me no own Beyblade. I mean, come on - how stupid are you? If I did own Beyblade, it would contain much swearing, blood, sex and rock'n'roll. And Yaoi. Don't forget the luffly yaoi. But since I don't own it, I have to settle for entertaining you guys with my stories and OCs - which is fine by me.  
_Warnings: _The usual, you know.  
_Big thanks for reviewing..._  
**Ruinsage-sorceress  
Neena14  
shrouded-obsession  
**_Notes:_ Gosh it's hot here in England... Christ - we're hotter than Spain, Greece and America! -giggles- I'm brown again; and I ain't talking hair colour (no, I have brown, red, blonde, blue and black in my hair XD I'd be bored with just brown...) Eh, enough of that, on with the story : )

* * *

She giggled. "Do it again!"

He simply smiled in reply, his golden aura twinkling in the dull sunshine that shone through the window from outside, brightening up her room. He picked up his lyre once more and began to pluck a tune - a new one this time, but once again happy.

It told of a new future and a new life, filled with much joy and satisfaction. Like the song itself, everything was to be new…

"Hermes," Commanded a voice, making the musician cease playing. He looked up from his lyre, brushing golden hair from his eyes.

"Yup, Circe, honey?"

There was a humoured sigh. "I need you to deliver a message."

"Yeah?" The messenger god placed his winged helmet back onto his messy blond hair and began to tug on his winged sandals. "From who, to whom?"

"From me, you dolt, to the inhabitants of the top floor, Liberty Hotel in Bakuten, Japan."

"Right… and the message is?"

Circe then replied to his question, but in a language totally unrecognisable to the young girl beside the musician.

"Okay, sure," Hermes turned to the disappointed little girl. He flew over to her from the window sill and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back quickly, okay?"

She nodded and watched him fly off through the window, leaving golden glitter twirling in his wake.

* * *

Bryan froze. Before him was Tala and Moon Child, whom were both blinking confusingly at a bird on the living room windowsill – almost as if they didn't know what it was.

"Tal…?"

The redhead and wolf broke their gazes and turned to the Falcon, also blinking in stupor at his weirded-out expression.

"What?"

"It's a dove," The elder spoke slowly, walking past them and over to the white bird. He held out his hand and it hopped onto his arm calmly. "It's not an alien."

"I know it's a dove, bastard," Tala snapped, but he cooled off. "How come it's so tame around you?"

Bryan paused and stared at the bird, which had wandered up onto his shoulder. "It's natural to me. I've always had a connection with birds."

"Falborg."

"Unsurprisingly," The Falcon replied nonchalantly, before disappearing down the hallway, the dove still on his shoulder.

Tala turned to Moon Child and rolled his eyes. "Birds…"

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Tala turned to Alana, who was coming out of the corridor, Alexei next to her.

"And why the hell does Bryan have a dove on his shoulder?"

"Well," The Wolf laughed, scratching his fellow wolf behind the ear, "don't ask me."

"Too bad, I just did," The purple haired girl answered with a smirk. "So what're we all doing today?"

"Hm… I don't think much is happening nowadays…" Tala sighed. "Ray and Bry are staying in their room pretty much today – there're no important matches and Bry's worried about that weird dream Ray had, so they're going to have a chat about it. And Kai and I are going out."

"Where might I ask?" Alana asked, sensing that Alexei was bursting to ask the very same question; possibly with an, 'ooooooh' tucked in somewhere.

Tala shrugged. "Dunno; just out."

"Well, wherever you go, try not to get arrested for indecent exposure or anything."

"You're almost as bad as your brother." The redhead rolled his eyes.

"I know; don't you just love it?"

"And what are you doing today, then?" Tala asked the smirking girl.

"Dunno - go with the flow," The Hawk replied with a shrug.

"And how long are you going to grace us with your presence?"

Alana paused to think, glancing back at Alexei. "Well… until Bryan lets me go, I guess."

Tala laughed and turned around, heading towards the balcony, knowing the purple haired teen would follow. Upon reaching the stone overhang, he pulled out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter, igniting the little white stick quickly and inhaling. He closed his eyes in contentment, before exhaling the white smoke.

He almost jumped in surprise when the packet and lighter were taken from his grip. Looking over at the culprit, he raised an eyebrow.

"Surely big brother isn't too pleased about you picking up on one of his habits?"

"Pah - he'd be a hypocrite, then."

"True," Tala replied nonchalantly with a smirk. "Anything else?"

"What?"

"Habits."

Alana laughed. "Nothing really… drink a bit, but I'm not an addicted alcoholic, thank you."

"Well, wanna hear 'bout Bry?" Tala asked, with a smirk.

"That is the most stupid question ever asked."

"Actually," Bryan butt in, poking his head past the balcony doors, "the most stupid question ever asked was, 'So this Guy Fawkes-bloke - do we kill 'im or wot?'"

"Oh haha, Bry," Alana added in a sarcastic laugh, watching her brother disappear once more. "So what are his habits?"

"Smoke, drink and he _has_ dabbled in drugs."

"Drugs?" She whistled. "Wow… sex addict?"

A sardonic smirk curled the redhead's lips and he took a drag of the cigarette. "No."

Alana blinked. "Virgin?"

"Nope…" The Wolf looked down, almost sadly.

"Were…" She looked inside to see if Ray was there. "Were you two together? Used to be, I mean."

"Yeah…" Tala replied quietly, stepping on the cigarette and kicking it over the edge before walking back inside. "I don't want to talk about it though."

The Hawk nodded. "Sorry," She apologised, following him inside.

"No, don't worry about it. You weren't to know. We were close, that's all I can say."

She watched him wander towards the bedroom-corridor with a frown. "So why did you split, then…?"

* * *

Demi: hm, Hermes be my favourite male god, whereas Artemis is my favourite gal-god. Thing is, I always envision darling Hermes as a young guy (twenty years old-looking or so) but stupid artists paint him as a 30 year old with a tiny dick...

Ehm, off subject slightly...

Review and don't bit my head off for the slight cliffie...

P.S. OMG, went to see McFly on Thursday (for those who don't know, they're an awesome band) and Lil' Chris was supporting - it was so... - screams and faints- awesome...


	5. 4: Messages of gods and gods of messages

_Chapter no. :_ 4  
_Chapter title:_ Messages of gods and gods of messages  
_Story rating:_ M  
_BETAed:_ **Phoenix Seal Of Approval**  
_Disclaimer:_ Me no own Beyblade. I mean, come on - how stupid are you? If I did own Beyblade, it would contain much swearing, blood, sex and rock'n'roll. And Yaoi. Don't forget the luffly yaoi. But since I don't own it, I have to settle for entertaining you guys with my stories and OCs - which is fine by me.  
_Warnings: _The usual, you know.  
_Big thanks for reviewing..._**  
Neena14  
shrouded-obsession  
**_Notes:_ Gee, two reviews... don't I feel loved?

* * *

Amber eyes glared at the white dove upon the Falcon's shoulder. Bryan was happily sat cross-legged upon the lounge floor, reading a thick novel once again, content with the bird on his shoulder and oblivious to Ray…

So the Tiger was being replaced by a stupid bird of peace? This was war…

The Chinese boy walked towards the Falcon. The dove noticed him and cocked its head in confusion, causing Ray to hiss at it with glinting fangs, making the bird spread its wings and fly to safety.

Satisfied, Ray, pulled the book out of Bryan's grip, before placing himself on his lap and looking at the cover of the hardback.

"Do you-?"

"_Metamorphoses_?" Ray interrupted.

"Yes," Bryan replied, slightly miffed. "Ovid's masterpiece."

"And it's about…?"

"Beautiful boys like you who get fucked into insanity by gods like me."

At the sight of Ray's shocked expression, Bryan laughed.

"I'm being sarcastic," The Falcon soothed, wrapping a muscular arm around the lithe waist. "It's Roman-Greek literature - Greek myths written by a Roman man – which all feature a change of some kind; hence the title."

Ray nodded thoughtfully and turned to the page that Bryan had been reading.

"_Glaucus and Scylla_… who and who?"

Bryan laughed again. "Glaucus was a fisherman who was changed into a sea-god. He saw Scylla, a young maiden who had many advances of marriage but denied them all. Glaucus then went to Circe-"

"Circe?"

"You want to hear the story or not?"

Ray sulked with a pout.

"He went to Circe for help, but she fell in love with him. Of course, she was refused and she took out her fury on Scylla, pouring a magical poison into the pool which Scylla bathed in. She was turned into a monster: from the waist down she had snapping dogs. She retreated to the Strait of Messina, where she snatched sailors as they passed and ate them."

Ray blinked. "Um… so a rather cheerful book, then?"

"What did you expect - a lovey-dovey romance?"

"No."

"Precisely. And I figured it out - no wonder Circe hates men. She's been rejected more times than Tyson's had hot meals."

"Tyson's eaten a lot of hot meals, you know."

"I know."

"But poor Circe-honey didn't deserve it, you know."

The two blinked at each other, before turning to look towards the open window. Sat there, was a young man with curly blonde hair and twinkling blue eyes. On top of his head was a gold cap, with small wings attached to the top - the same with his sandals too. He was clothed in a white, short toga, a small shoulder bag hanging by his side.

"Hello friends, I'm Hermes."

"Messenger god," Bryan murmured.

"Correct," Hermes replied, speaking very lively. "I bear a message from Circe."

As if on cue, Tala wandered into the main area and froze at the sight of the god.

"Tala," The Falcon began slowly, as if speaking to a three year old, "it's a god."

"Oh, go to hell, Kuznetsov," Tala snapped. "Actually, don't go there - I don't want to have to deal with you for all eternity." He turned his gaze to Hermes. "And **why** are you here?"

"I bring a message from _darling_ Circe."

"…I heard no sarcasm - what's wrong with you, man?"

Hermes chuckled. "Bring all to listen to my message."

"Oh, righto." Alana chipped in, walking in from the balcony. "Come on Tal, Lex. Let's go make a global announcement to the world - everyone has to squige into this suite to listen to Hermes."

"Honey," The blonde chuckled, "very funny." The god waved his golden sceptre at the teen. "But you know very well what I mean."

"Party pooper," She muttered, watching Tala disappear down the corridor to go get Kai, Moon Child and Cha'tima.

"I bring a warning." He sighed and shook his head. "It seems dear Hera, my father's wife and Queen of the gods, has taken a disliking to you all."

"But we've done Jack-shit to her," Tala protested, with a scowl.

Hermes shrugged. "It doesn't take much to invoke the wrath of gods these days."

"So… is this all you're here for?" The Phoenix asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back on the wall. "Just a warning."

"Indeed… I can't do anything to help, I'm sorry." The messenger apologised, looking generally remorseful. "Circe is appealing to the Great Deity as we speak. If that fails, she will appeal to other gods and possibly such lesser souls as nymphs, naiads, other witches, possibly monsters – they can aid you, if on your side."

He stood, still upon the windowsill and got ready to depart.

"Hey!" The dove that had sneakily rested again on Bryan's shoulder perked up and fluttered over to Hermes. "So, this is where you went, huh?" The god rolled his eyes and shooed it out the window. "Oh, and honey?" He looked at Alana. "That orphanage you and Alexei used to live in? Better go get your stuff - that evil matron will either sell it, give it away or chuck it."

And with that, he disappeared into a cloud of golden glitter and flew out the window.

"But how did he know about the orphanage?" Alana asked with a frown.

"Why do you question everything?" Alexei countered.

"It's fun. And makes me seem cool. _And _I'm just doing what my big brother told me before he was taken to the Abbey. '_Question everything_' he said."

"Ah, you remember things like that…" Bryan murmured, before raising an eyebrow. "Or do you?" He chuckled as his sister glared at him. "Seriously Alana, well done for remembering that – it keeps you alive on the streets – but…" The corner of his lips curled upwards. "Are you _really_ questioning things?"

"Oh, shut up, you annoying son of a bitch."


	6. 5: Krisp Memories

_Chapter no. :_ 5  
_Chapter title:_ Kris-p Memories  
_Story rating:_ M  
_BETAed:_ **Phoenix Seal Of Approval**  
_Disclaimer:_ Me no own Beyblade. I mean, come on - how stupid are you? If I did own Beyblade, it would contain much swearing, blood, sex and rock'n'roll. And Yaoi. Don't forget the luffly yaoi. But since I don't own it, I have to settle for entertaining you guys with my stories and OCs - which is fine by me.  
_Warnings: _The usual, you know.  
_Big thanks for reviewing..._  
**Neena14  
shrouded-obsession  
Dranza **(A new reviewer! -hands cookie-)  
_Notes: _Ai, ai, ai... hah, i said 'love, love, love' in Japanese lol! But, i mean, the kind of 'ai' that goes, "For fooks sake!" . A late update! -winces- sorry. I had revision for my exams and my minds ain't been the greatest place to be. Everyday, there's a war (well, one-sided) in my head cos i keep having to beat the shit outta my muses so they stop giving me ideas. They're currently cowering in the corner... wait, can brains have corners? They're round-ish...  
_Totally irrelevant quote of the update:  
_**"My ****fellow Americans. I did ga-googity that girl. I ga-schmoigedied her ga-flavety with my googus. And I am sorry."** (Quagmire, Family Guy)

* * *

Alana groaned as she looked up at the dreary, grey, stone building. Snowflakes drifted around her and Alexei, settling on the pavement of downtown St Petersburg.

"I can feel the happiness draining out of me already." She muttered. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"Yeah…" Alexei glanced at his companion. "Oh and please, try to keep your gun in its holster. Just this once."

The Hawk didn't reply; she only banged her fist on the door harshly, many times.

"Okay, okay!" Came a squawk from inside. The door was yanked open, showing a very plump woman with greying hair that was pulled into a tight bun. She looked down her nose at Alana and Alexei. "Yes?"

Alana raised an eyebrow. "Don't recognise us, _matron_?"

"Hm…" Distrusting eyes passed over both teens, a sneer curling her lips. "Oh yes – the famous Falcon's darling sister and her… _happily feminine_ friend." She wrinkled her nose. "What can I do the pleasure?"

"Spare the crap, nanny. I want my stuff back; Alexei too."

"You left it here – it belongs to me now."

Alana closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Let us in so we can get our stuff."

"No." She retorted.

Another deep breath. "_Please?_" She spat.

"Again, no."

"We'll be very quick."

"You are not coming in this house."

"How about you bring our stuff out to us, then?"

"No!"

Alana's patience seemed to snap like a thin twig and she whipped out her gun from the holster under her arm, pointing it at the matron, hand shaking and blue eyes psychotically wide. "Let us in the goddamn house, for God's sake, woman!"

Alarmed that there was a crazy lady at her front door, the orphanage owner stumbled backwards, letting the two inside.

"Now, Lana," Alexei soothed, placing a hand on the Hawk's shoulder. "Let's put the gun down, or you might shoot a little kid."

The purple haired girl slowly lowered the revolver, still glaring sharp daggers at the old woman, who was cowering in fear.

"And put the gun away. We don't want to make a kid wet or poo themselves."

Alana sighed. "But **she**'ll have to mop it up." But after a stern look from the Otter, she conceded. "Fine… I won't scare the little buggers."

Securing the firearm within its holster under her coat, she made a path straight for her old bedroom; up a few staircases, along a corridor or two, passing many surprised children – who weren't used to seeing strangers in their hallways unaccompanied.

"Everything's the same, Lex," Alana sighed. "Place is filthy, kids dirty… clothes shabby and ripped…"

He rubbed her arm comfortingly, but froze when he spotted someone up ahead.

"Kris?"

"Kris!" Alana shouted.

Up ahead, a lad clad in black jeans, tartan skirt, converses, and a black hoodie turned around. He brushed golden-brown strands out of his pale green, kohl-lined eyes, flicked his long ponytail over his shoulder and smiled broadly.

"Lana!" He yelled back, opening his arms and hugging the Russian girl as she ran at him. "Never thought I'd see you again…"

"Can't get rid of me that easily." She replied, stepping back and looking at him. "Still a crossdresser, then? Matron couldn't beat it out of you then?"

"I still have the scars, but no." He laughed, Northern accent strong. "And I like to call myself a 'tom-girl', thanks."

Kris had been in the orphanage with Alana and Alexei as a kid. His parents in England had sold him to child labour, but little Kris managed to escape, ending up in St Petersburg and ultimately ending up in the orphanage.

The matron did not like 'unnatural' or 'sinful' things in her household, and Kris was – to her – as sinful as one could be. Little Alana used to lend the little boy some of her clothes; the more feminine articles of clothing. Just like the Otter was beaten for liking boys, Kris was beaten for liking girls' clothing – her method was supposed to stop them doing such things.

"Well, my little tom-girl, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Hey, you might have enough money to disappear, but some of us don't," The other retorted. "Us oldies still work, but matron gets most of it. We're saving up to get out of this dump, slowly but surely." He frowned. "Where's Lexy? You two used to be inseparable when you were little…"

Alana jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "You blind or ignorant?"

"I must be blind…" Kris muttered, eyes sweeping over the dark Otter, before stepping up to him and enveloping the silent teen in his arms. "Hey Lexy – still as quiet as always, eh?"

"Yeah."

Alana hid her smirk behind her hand as she spotted the bright blush across Alexei's nose and cheeks. As a child, the Otter used to have a huge crush on the 'tom-girl' and only he and Alana knew about it… obviously, the crush was still present.

"Well, can't dally, sorry," Kris apologised, letting go of the starry-eyed Alexei. "I've got work. When will I see you guys again?"

"Oh, I'll ring sometime," Alana waved it off. "Me and Lex are travelling a bit nowadays – if my darling brother let's me later on."

Kris laughed. "Well, it was nice to see you guys again. See you some other time, yeah?"

"See you, Kris." The Hawk waved as he disappeared down the stairs. Turning to the Otter, she rolled her eyes at his dazed expression. "Come on, you. Before you get a little friend down under."

She tugged at his arm, and he followed obediently.

"You know, now's your chance: you should tell him you like him," Alana said matter-of-factly.

"But Lana," Alexei whined, "he might not like boys."

"…Lex, he's a bloody crossdresser."

"Doesn't make him gay," The Otter pointed out. "He's like train-tracks, Lana; bent in some places, but generally straight."

The Hawk shrugged. "Your loss," She seemed to perk up, however, upon sighting a door at the end of the hallway. "Finally here," She glanced at Alexei. "I hope she hasn't thrown much out… or some tyke hasn't touched or claimed anything."

"Ditto," He agreed. "I know how you can get when someone takes something of yours."

"What?" She was left standing, gaping like a fish out of water, looking at the room which Alexei had disappeared through, now only staring at the closed door. "How do I get? What do I do? Tell me, Lex!"

Upon realising the Otter was not going to reply, she 'hmphed' and stomped over to her room, knocking on the wood.

"Anyone in there?"

There was no answer, so she pushed on the door, entering her old room.

"Jesus, this place hasn't changed much…" She whispered, walking over to the dressing table and looking at the few trinkets before the small mirror, studying a few of the things that used to belong to her. "The kid can keep this junk…"

After five minutes, she had rummaged (and repacked) every space and found nothing worth keeping; it was safe to say Alana Kuznetsov was rather pissed.

"That bitch! She's thrown out all my good stuff! All the things Lex and Kris and everyone saved up for to buy me for my thirteenth… my old guitar…" Tears pricked her eyes and she sat down on the bed. "Oh God…" She whispered before burying her face in her hands.

"Lana?" It was Alexei. The Hawk was enveloped in strong, warm arms and rocked gently. "What's wrong?"

"I can't find Gale."

"That cuddly toy bird you used to never let go of?"

"Yeah…" Alana sniffed, and wiped her tears away. She chuckled. "It's stupid - me, crying over a stuffed toy, but… Bryan got it for me when we were on the streets. It was the only thing I had to remember him." She smiled, eyes distant. "Okay, he stole it for me, but same pie, different gravy."

"Hey… he can buy you a new one… yeah, it won't be the same, but…"

Alana shook her head. "Hey, some lucky kid might have it now. I don't need it now; I have the real Bryan again. And even though he's annoying as a jet plane stuck up your ass, I still love him."

The dormitory door creaked open and a small girl with metallic hair poked her head around the wood, shyly.

"Hello…"

The Otter smiled. "Hey. Don't worry about us; we're leaving anyway."

The girl nodded, fully in the room now. "Why're you here…? I haven't seen you here before…"

"We used to live here." The Hawk explained, standing up, along with Alexei. "This used to be my room, actually. We were only here to pick up some stuff, but most of mine has been thrown away." Alana blinked at the girl's shocked expression. "What? Oh, it doesn't matter about my stuff, I…"

Something caught her eye. In the little girl's hand was a stuffed toy; a falcon, with twinkling, glass eyes. It was somewhat worn - but that only showed that it was dearly loved by the girl.

"Hey… little girl, could I have a look at that cuddly toy you're holding?"

She frowned cutely and held it tightly to her chest. "N-No…"

"Please? I just want to look at it. It might be what I'm looking for."

"B-But if it is, then you'll take it away!" The girl's lower lip trembled. "…What do you think it is?"

"I used to own a toy falcon. It belonged to my brother before he was taken away from me."

The girl's eyes widened considerably, swirls of deep purple swimming with tears. Without warning, she launched herself at Alana, leaping on the bed and using it as a trampoline to latch onto the Hawk.

"I knew you'd come back!" She cried, hanging off Alana's neck.

"Uh, little girl…" The teen scooped the girl up and stared her levelly in the eye.

"Matron always said that-that you'd never come back for a-a brat like me. 'Alana will never come back for you. Nor for that dratted Gale. And neither will that lovely brother of yours.' She said! She did, she did!"

"But why would Alana come back for you, little girl?" Alexei asked cautiously.

The girl beamed brightly. "Because she's my sister!"

* * *

Demi: Fans of my other stories will know who this 'little girl' is lol

Oh and by the by, when i mean a 'Northern accent', i mean north england. Think Scottish-ish... lol, Scottish-ish...

Stay tuned and review : )


	7. 6: Turn That Frown Upside Down!

_Chapter no. :_ 6  
_Chapter title:_ Turn That Frown Upside Down!  
_Story rating:_ M  
_BETAed:_ **Phoenix Seal Of Approval**  
_Disclaimer:_ Me no own Beyblade. I mean, come on - how stupid are you? If I did own Beyblade, it would contain much swearing, blood, sex and rock'n'roll. And Yaoi. Don't forget the luffly yaoi. But since I don't own it, I have to settle for entertaining you guys with my stories and OCs - which is fine by me.  
_Warnings: _The usual, you know.  
_Big thanks for reviewing..._  
**shrouded-obsession  
ShadowWolfDagger  
**(No more than two reviews? -pouts-)  
_Notes: _Eh, I've made a few changes to the already-written chapters of WL. No, I haven't finished it, s'just I got ahead of myself. Now, good news all around; chapters are now longer. I merged two chapters together from here on, so they're double the size (or so). More good news, I might be creating a side-story for WL, filled with deleted scenes or whatnot. The nature of it and such is top secret - even Phoenix doesn't know about it -ku ku ku-...  
_Totally irrelevant quote of the update:  
_**Dizzi:** Hey, if you wanna know something, then just ask the Know-It-All.  
**Tyson:** That would be you, Kai.  
**Kai:** You said it.

* * *

'_**I've heard those things are bad for your health.'**_

Tala glanced down at the wolf. "What? Racoon Dogs?" He asked, cheekily, pointing at Fai, who was sat on the balcony railing, next to Ray. "Never knew that. Ray, Ayashe says that Racoon Dogs are bad for your health. Better kick it off the balcony."

'_**No, Pack Leader,'**_ Moon Child growled, though she watched in satisfaction as little Fai hugged Ray's arm tightly and fearfully. _**'You know what I mean. Those white sticks. I've heard they make you die.'**_

The redhead rolled his eyes. "And by any chance did a little _birdy_ tell you?"

'_**Why yes; Kai did. You're lucky he doesn't lock you in… oh, what did he call it? Rehab.'**_

"What are you two planning now?" The Tiger asked cautiously.

"Don't worry about your dog, Kitten." Tala waved it off. "Ayashe's informing me about a conspiracy to get me off smoking." Tala snorted, lifting the white stick to his lips and taking a deep lungful. "And this is a _fire-bird _lecturing me about _smoking_."

"Have, very punny," Ray retorted. "But you should stop, you know."

The Wolf groaned. "Not you too."

"Unfortunately, yes," Ray chuckled. "But don't worry - I'll let you do what the hell you want with your body. Just to let you know, I'll miss you."

"Thank you. I'll have a private funeral, if you don't mind. And I want Kai buried with me."

"What? _Alive_?" The Tiger joked.

"Now that's a thought…"

"…You're not serious, are you?"

"I don't even know myself."

Inside, the phone started to ring and Tala rolled his eyes. "I'll get it."

He stubbed out the cigarette and stalked inside, picking up the receiver.

"Hello, Penthouse Suite, Tala Ivanov speaking."

"Yes, this is Amanda, down in reception," A sugary sweet voice filtered through the speaker, making Tala cringe. "Is Mister Kuznetsov there? There's a call waiting for him."

"Ah, who's calling, might I ask."

"An Alana Kuznetsov."

"Ah, one moment." He pressed the 'hold' button. "Kitten?" He called.

Ray entered from the balcony. "Yeah?"

"Where's Bryan?"

"Out."

"Oh that's great. Alana's on the phone – she wants to speak to him."

"He said he'd be back in an hour or so."

"Bleh." Tala turned back to the phone and pressed the 'hold' button once again. "Yeah, Bryan isn't here; I'll speak to Alana."

"I'll just see if that is okay with her."

The Wolf rolled his eyes. "Of course it'll be okay to speak to me. Now put her on, before I-"

"Before you what?"

"Hey Lana."

"No, come on, what were you doing?"

"The usual – threatening the receptionist."

"Oh, yeah. She hasn't given up on you, has she?"

"Nope."

Alana laughed at the other end of the phone. "So, I guess Bryan ain't in, eh?"

"Nope."

"Oh well."

"How's things going out there? Found your things?"

"No – most of my things are gone. I did find one thing, however, that belongs to me, per se. Used to belong to my mother."

"Oh, what's that?"

"You'll see," Alana replied. "But I was calling to say I'm heading to the airport now."

"So soon?"

"Yeah, well, there's nothing to do. Visited the RABBP base, various friends… done it all. Now I just wanna be back with you guys."

"That's sweet. So when will you be back?"

"Hm… evening time. Don't worry, we'll get a cab."

"If you're sure. Kai'll foot the bill, don't worry."

"Thanks. See you then."

"See you."

He hung up.

"So, what's up?"

Tala turned to Ray. "Lana'll be back tonight."

"Bryan will be glad."

"You can say that again." The redhead flashed a grin. "Then he won't be so… oh what's the word? Frowny."

"…That isn't even a word."

"It is now."

* * *

"We're baaaaaack!" 

The door swung open with a flourish and Alana leapt in, striking a pose. Everyone – who was sat at the kitchen table – rolled their eyes.

"Helloooooo."

"Someone's hyper."

"Yep, Tal," she replied, watching the Wolf walk over to her to give her a welcome hug.

"How're-" He had been about to wrap his arms around the Russian girl, but upon sighting – over her shoulder – something hiding behind Alexei's legs, he froze…

Or should I say, 'someone'.

"Okay, mind explaining _that_?"

Everyone stood up. "What's going on?" Ray asked.

"Remember I told you about that thing I had found that used to belong to our mother?" Alana asked, reaching behind her. "Well, Bryan – meet our baby sister."

She nudged the little girl whom she had met back at the orphanage. The girl shrank back slightly at the sight of lots of people – along with two wolves and a weird Racoon thing – large purple irises wide and filled with anxiety. Metallic-lavender strands fell in front of her eyes, but she didn't brush them away; too shocked to move.

Her hair was long, side parted and brushing about her ankles, but next to her cheek was a lengthy lock, tresses tied together with a pure white ribbon bow; her dress matched the colour of the bow; her over-large snow boots too.

"Our… _baby-sister_?" Bryan repeated, staring at the little girl in slight disbelief.

The Hawk nodded. "Yup. Her name, ironically, is Bryony. Our mother obviously thought that by calling her that, she would be as famous and successful as you; since it is the feminine version of your name."

Little Bryony looked straight up at Tala. "I saw you on TV…" She whispered. "Three years ago when you dropped your match against the dragon. You could have beaten him – but you didn't want big brother hurt by the evil man…"

"Well… she has Bryan's brains," Tala commented. He crouched down and studied her. "So, hello Bryony. You know my name already, but I'm Tala."

She smiled bashfully. "Hello…" Her attention, however, was taken away from the Wolf when a shadow fell across them. Both looked up to see Bryan standing there. Tala stood and moved out the way. "Big brother…"

He also crouched to her height. Reaching out, he brushed the metallic strands from her amethyst orbs, his own eyes distant.

After a moment or two, she hesitantly leant forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. Surprised, Bryan halted momentarily, before relaxing and enveloping her lithe frame in his arms.

The room's occupants couldn't help but smile as they watched the two embrace.

The Falcon suddenly stood, bringing Bryony with him and resting her on his hip, arms still wrapped around her. She giggled, making him smile.

"Where'd you find her?"

"You make it sound like she's a toy."

The little girl gasped. "Where's Gale?"

"Don't worry, Chick." Alana rummaged in her bag and produced the little toy Falcon, handing it to Bryony, who hugged it tightly.

"I recognise that…" Bryan whispered.

"You should - you stole it for me when you were four."

"Ah…" The Falcon ran a finger down the worn fur. "It's been loved, then."

"Matron said that Gale belonged to you and then my sister so I had to look after him." She looked up at him through thick lashes. "Matron tried to throw her out lots of times but Kris saved her, he did, he did. And Hermes!"

They all froze.

"Did you say, Hermes?"

She nodded. "He plays the lullaby daddy used to sing at bedtime and looks out for me. And-and he brings Azrael to play with me!" Her bottom lip trembled. "Will they know I'm here?"

"Okay, this is getting too freaky again," Tala commented. "Where's the escape button?"

"Okay, well, let's just forget about that for the moment and calm down." Alana cut in, stepping up to her brother and sister. She stroked the lavender-tinted hair. "Hermes will know you're here. And he'll tell Azrael. But come on, let's get you settled. Do you want a drink?"

The little girl looked up at Bryan, an eyebrow cocked and looking nothing like a sweet and innocent eight-year old. "She's been mothering over me since she found me."

The Falcon smirked. "Get used to it, Chick."

"And I'm not mothering you."

"She's right, actually. You think that's mothering…" Tala smirked. "You got a new thing coming."

That remark earned him a smack around the head.

"Come on," Bryan muttered, turning on his heel and walking toward the kitchen area, where Kai and Ray still were. "As much as I enjoy watching Lana beat Tala up, let's not introduce you to it just yet."

Reaching the kitchen table, he sat her down on one of the chairs.

"She looks like you, that's for sure…" Ray commented, stroking her long hair.

Kai nodded in agreement. "Your hair looked that when it was changing from lavender to silver."

"You don't have the same eyes…" The Tiger continued. "But you have the same noses."

"I have daddy's nose." Bryony cut in with a big innocent smile, swinging her legs. "You look like daddy too…"

Bryan froze, but looked away, eyes unsure. "Maybe…" He whispered, not knowing what else to say.

* * *

"It's strange…" 

Ray propped himself up on his elbow, gazing down at the Falcon, who was stretched out on their bed, moonlight illuminating their bedroom. "What is?"

Bryan paused. "That… someone so innocent could talk so highly of my father."

"We're talking about Bryony, right?" He received a nod. Ray gave him a small smile and lay down on the Russian's bare chest. "Maybe… maybe you got it all wrong."

"What?"

"Well, think about it Bry." The Tiger sat up again. "You never knew your father. Nor did Alana… but Bryony might've actually known him."

"Then why did he abandon me and Alana?" Bryan asked furiously, resting on his elbows. "Maybe I popped out and he thought, 'Damnit, don't want a son'. And when Alana came, he didn't want any children at all, but after losing us realised he did and claimed the first living thing that burst out of my mother's god-forsaken womb? That's probably what happened - I don't think anyone would want_ me_ as a son…"

"Bry, calm down." Amber eyes watered slightly. "I'm sorry for saying that and bringing it up… I was trying to help… you didn't need to blow up in my face."

The Falcon sighed. "I'm sorry - I shouldn't have. My past is… hard to talk about…"

The Tiger snuggled back down into the elder's chest, revelling in the warmth of the other. "I know." He laid a gentle kiss on the Russian's neck. "Don't let Bryony down. Let her think of her father as a good man; let her have her childhood."

He felt Bryan nod and they finally fell asleep.

* * *

Demi: please review - I'm begging you all! It would make me so happy; seriously, and I need all the happiness I can get... 


End file.
